Viera High’s Boritzki earns prestigious science nomination

Caitlyn Boritzki, a freshman at Viera High School, has been nominated for the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders. A workshop will be held from June 29 to July 1 in Lowell, Mass.

The Congress is an honors only program for high school students who are passionate about science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM). The purpose of this event is to honor, inspire, motivate and direct the top students in the country who aspire to be scientists and technologists to stay true to their dream. The Congress hopes to provide a path, plan and resources to help them reach their goal.

Boritzki was nominated by Dr. John C. Mather, a winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics. Mather is the science director of the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists at Viera High School.

Boritzki will represent Viera High School based on her academic achievement, leadership potential and passion for science and technology.

During the three-day Congress, Boritzki will join students from across the country and hear Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science recipients talk about leading scientific research; be given advice from deans of the world's top tech universities; be inspired by fellow teen science prodigies; and learn about cutting edge advances and the future of science and technology.

“This is a crucial time in America when we need more nimble-minded and creative scientists and technologists who are even better prepared for a future that is changing exponentially,” said Richard Rossi, who is the executive director of the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists. “Focused, bright and determined students like Caitlyn Boritzki are our future and she deserves all the mentoring and guidance we can give her.”

The Academy offers free services and programs to students who have the desire to learn more about their future in science or technology. Some of the services and programs the Academy offers include online social networks through which future scientists and technologists can communicate; opportunities for students to be guided and mentored by tech and science leaders; and communications for parents and students on college acceptance and finances, skills acquisition, internships, career guidance and much more.

The Academy was founded on the belief that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education plays a critical role in enabling the United States to remain the economic and technological leader of the global marketplace of the 21st century. The Academy hopes to identify prospective talent at the earliest possible age and help these students acquire the necessary experience and skills to guide them to vital careers.

Based in Washington, D.C. and with an office in Boston, the Academy was chartered as a nonpartisan, taxpaying institution to help address this crisis by working to identify, encourage and mentor students who wish to devote their lives to advances in society as scientists, technologists, engineers and mathematicians.